Reply to: Is he mad?

[King Cnvt]

Well said. You seem to be rapidly joiningg Old Greg in the resident intellectuals club.

Yes, come join sasguru, troll and I as the (oh dear, yellow card) edge in thought processes.

[sasguru]

He's neither mad nor uneducated. He's just received the standard, orthodox education of an Islamic country - that the Protocols of Zion are true, the world is run by a Jewish conspiracy, the holocaust is a hoax, and Israel must be destroyed.

Islam is supposedly a later revelation of God than Christianity and Judaism, and therefore superior in every way. So the theory goes that Allah is unhappy with Muslims, and has allowed the establishment of the state of Israel as a reproach. The way to get back into Allah's good books, is therefore to work towards the annihilation of Israel.

It's interesting that Islamic civilization was way ahead of European civilization 600 years ago. Now it seems to be in decline - while Europe went through the enlightenment, the east seems to have gone through a benightedment.

Well said. You seem to be rapidly joiningg Old Greg in the resident intellectuals club.

[NotAllThere]

He's neither mad nor uneducated. He's just received the standard, orthodox education of an Islamic country - that the Protocols of Zion are true, the world is run by a Jewish conspiracy, the holocaust is a hoax, and Israel must be destroyed.

Islam is supposedly a later revelation of God than Christianity and Judaism, and therefore superior in every way. So the theory goes that Allah is unhappy with Muslims, and has allowed the establishment of the state of Israel as a reproach. The way to get back into Allah's good books, is therefore to work towards the annihilation of Israel.

It's interesting that Islamic civilization was way ahead of European civilization 600 years ago. Now it seems to be in decline - while Europe went through the enlightenment, the east seems to have gone through a benightedment.

[Cowboy Bob]

I believe what he actually said with regards to the holocaust is that he wished that Israel would stop using the holocaust as emotional blackmail to prevent criticism of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, and that people should forget about the holocaust in that context.

[OwlHoot]

wasn't so long ago that we used to jail them

Wasn't that long ago (the 1860s) we used to top them, like in Iran, and until 1817 oral sex counted as sodomy for the purpose of the 1534 Sodomy Act.

P.S. I vaguely recall reading that those Iranian guys received a capital sentence because they kidnapped and raped a 12 year old (or some similar age) boy.

[realityhack]

He also was reported to say that Israel should be wiped from the map if I recall...that is surely bordering on lunacy...

No - that was a mistranslation - he said Zionism wiped from the Earth/Map - which has an altogether different meaning.

[DBA_bloke]

"In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country. In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I do not know who has told you we have it."
-- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaking at Columbia University

Agreed, World Class Nutjob.

I believe he said this whilst he was bumming his brother.

[Churchill]

I'd like him to make the Holocaust Denial statement in Belgium...

[PRC1964]

The word "myth" is just the translation we have for what he said. He could easily have been saying that holocaust stories are exaggerated. Wikipedia says this of Myths "Use of the term by scholars does not imply that the narrative is either true or false. See also legend and tale."

The holocaust is used by some as a blanket reason for never criticising Israel, and as that article states "At one point he demanded to know why raising issues about the Holocaust or the existence of Israel was not compatible with freedom of speech".

Ahmadinejad is trying desperatly to hold onto power in Iran where he is not particularly popular. By demonising him the West run the risk of making him more popular at home.

[daviejones]

Ah - I'm not sure that lunatic is the right description, though.

Certainly, I think that he needs to have a better look at the historical evidence, and perhaps be a bit more broad-minded in his approach to Iran's neighbours, but I'm not convinced that he has demonstrated lunacy.

He also was reported to say that Israel should be wiped from the map if I recall...that is surely bordering on lunacy...

[TheFaQQer]

I think he was expressing his amazement at comments made regarding the holocaust...so in that case I think he was justified in his remark. The Iranian President denies the holocaust ever happened so therefor qualifies as a lunatic in my book.

Ah - I'm not sure that lunatic is the right description, though.

Certainly, I think that he needs to have a better look at the historical evidence, and perhaps be a bit more broad-minded in his approach to Iran's neighbours, but I'm not convinced that he has demonstrated lunacy.

[daviejones]

[QUOTE=Troll;307100]

I personally find it unacceptable and Western civilisation also finds it unacceptable... but unless you want to re impose colonial rule you will have to accept that others have different views on the subject.
You can hope that over time a more enlightened attitude evolves, but Islamic civilisation IMHO is several centuries behind Western in terms of human rights,
unless of course you would propose a regime change and an imposition of a Westernised value system ...

I also said it was wrong, I expressed no opinion on how we were going to educate these civilisations...merely stating that a man who openly says that there was no holocaust, sanctions public hanging for gays etc, is a lunatic and should not be in a position of power.

[daviejones]

It came across as very bad manners, not sure what he hoped to achieve

I think he was expressing his amazement at comments made regarding the holocaust...so in that case I think he was justified in his remark. The Iranian President denies the holocaust ever happened so therefor qualifies as a lunatic in my book.

[Troll]

I would assume that you meant Mr Bollinger, then - although I'm not sure that he classes as a lunatic. Incredibly rude, certainly, but I would hope that one does not become the head of a university by being a lunatic.

It came across as very bad manners, not sure what he hoped to achieve

[TheFaQQer]

I would have thought it obvious..

I would assume that you meant Mr Bollinger, then - although I'm not sure that he classes as a lunatic. Incredibly rude, certainly, but I would hope that one does not become the head of a university by being a lunatic.